Justin’s Review of the Corsair HX650 Power Supply

Few things can turn your monster gaming computer that you’ve just built into a pile of fried parts like a power surge.

Your power supply carries a huge burden and therefore it must be the most reliable and durable part of your computer.

Power supplies come in many different forms: some that can utilize large amounts of power, some that can only utilize a small amount, some that have colorful fans, and some that are dead silent, just to name a few.

The best way to look for a power supply is to read the reviews on it; a power supply can have flashy stats and an intriguing look, but those that have actually purchased and used the power supply before are your best friends because they know if the power supply will actually perform up to its high standards and if it has good efficiency and reliability.

Although many power supplies nowadays can survive a power surge, the other issue surrounding power supplies is the efficiency in which the PSU uses the energy that it takes from the wall power socket. A power supply with great efficiency and excellent durability is hard to come by, but one such PSU is the Corsair HX650.

Corsair HX650 Background

The HX650 power supply was designed by Corsair, a computer peripherals and hardware company located in Fremont, California. Although Corsair has gone through many stages since its inception in 1994, it has recently turned its attention towards memory, cases, SSDs, and PSUs, among other products.

The relatively new HX series of power supplies released by this company is designed for the high-performance PCs that gaming computers are known as, so any one of the power supplies in this series are perfect for prospective computer builders and gamers.

The HX650 performs justifiably compared to its price, surpassing its competition with its quiet operation at low loads, semi-modular cable design that lowers the amount of heat trapped in those pesky cables and wires everywhere, and 80 Plus® Gold efficiency that saves you money and electrical energy every time you use your computer.

The ultra-quiet fan providing excellent airflow, engineering to maximize power output at an acceptable temperature, and the numerous safety approvals surpass the older technology accompanying rival power supplies.

This power supply is primarily focused towards PCs that are high-performance, utilizing the close-to-silent fan in an environment that stresses being able to hear the work or games at hand.

What the Corsair HX650 Promises

The masterful HX line of power supplies designed by Corsair promises incredible energy-efficiency, as evidenced by its 80 Plus® Gold rating, and is intended for low temperatures, excellent performance, and low to no noise at normal loads.

The HX650 is envisioned to be purchased and used for those whom have a high-performance, super-computer that performs intense tasks like editing and gaming while having an adequate amount of power.

The HX650 definitely delivers, performing extremely well in every facet of use and never causing an issue or headache for me personally. I chose this power supply not only because of its superior craftsmanship, quiet fan, and excellent energy-efficiency, but also because this particular essential component comes with Corsair’s standard power supply warranty of 7 YEARS, along with LIFETIME access to Corsair’s technical and customer support.

I believe that this is a must own part because it fulfills every need that a gamer could ever have with a power supply and has virtually no flaws outside of its price, but you have to pay more for excellence.

This power supply is extremely easy to install; the only difficult part about it is the fact that the non-modular cables are quite thick and a little short. As stated before, the HX650 makes virtually no noise, and has enough cables for whatever you will need to do due to its modular nature.

I recommend the HX650 wholeheartedly to anyone who is not running multiple video cards as it does not provide enough power for more than one GPU. However, any conventional build will greatly appreciate from having this amazing power supply powering it.

Benefits

Very quiet power supply

80Plus Gold rating ensures that it’s one of the most energy-efficient PSUs

Backed by a 7-year warranty and lifetime support from Corsair

Semi-modular design makes cable management a breeze

Engineered to meet maximum power output at 50 C temperature rating

Includes high-quality capacitors for uncompromised performance and reliability

Provides enough headroom for single video card setups to be overclocked to extreme levels

Negatives

Costs more than similar 650W PSUs

Some users have had problems with a chirping noise when PSU is idling

What Customers Are Saying About the Intel Core i7-3770

From Khellendros on Amazon:

Recently becoming a fan of Corsair products, I thought would give their power supplies a try. The HX650 has been running solidly for about a month now powering a GTX670 and i5-3450. Ran a few overclocks with the 670 and had no power issues while benchmarking. The cables are nice and long which finally allowed me to run the cpu power cable behind the MB. (Read full review here…)

From Joseph Eric Smith on Amazon:

Rock solid PSU. Worth it as a quality part. If you’re sensitive to odd noises or you’re building a quiet rig this will drive you crazy. I’m keeping the part because I built my rig for performance, stability, and durability. Noise doesn’t matter to me. If it doesn’t matter to you, this is really worth considering, if not for the quality, then for Corsair’s customer service. (Read full review here…)

From M. Webb on Amazon:

If you ever wanted to fly first class or to go to an ultra-luxe hotel, but are stuck in an I.T. situation requiring an ATX power supply, buy this product. (Read full review here…)

Conclusion on My Corsair HX650

Energy-efficiency and reliability are the two top factors in most peoples’ minds when shopping for a power supply, and the HX line stands out in both of these above most competitors.

I recommend the HX650 for anyone only using one graphics card, but for those using two or more can buy a higher wattage version of the power supply from the same HX line. The extreme capabilities of cooling, silence, and performance make this group of power supplies released by Corsair the top option for a new gaming computer builder.

(These reviews are not necessarily my personal recommendations; rather, they are reviews written by others who actually own the product. If you’d like to post a review of the experience that you’ve had with a specific component, please contact me.)

Author Bio

Hello! My name is Justin, and I was once in your seat! I built my computer thanks to this site, and I wanted to give back! You can find me playing Skyrim or Oblivion on my grand-spanking computer, modding my graphics so it looks crazy good, or playing some basketball while listening to gaming podcasts when I can’t get enough. I role-play my players all the way, and love the thought of a complete immersive game. I can’t wait for Elder Scrolls Online to bring me back to MMOs, and I want to help others build computers so they can appreciate the glory of gaming for themselves. I play the sneaky assassin type, and am a very cautious type of person (which carries over to my characters).